Portable Firefox (or any other portable browser)

Hi all

I'm having some issue (unable to save changes like bookmarks, settings, etc) with the portable version of Firefox and co. (opera, gx, chrome) - 5.13.6 SB version and 90.0.2 of FF

While on the normal version with SB settings (force program, save bookmarks, phishing - auto delete) it save changes, but yet have some problem with updating the program (sometimes work other no)
for the portable version with the same settings it doesn't work.

I tried to reinstall FF portable, SB, update SB to a newer version with no success

thanks

 

current firefox build is 91.0.1, please update

and no, you cannot update firefox when used in sandboxie, that never worked. (portable and installed)

what i can tell you that firefox works here flawlessly in sandboxie, no recovery, no write-back of any data. i think you need to wait for someone who knows about the write-back options and path for firefox. the portable is somehow special because it has another profile folder then the installed.

 

Hi kitty, if you are using the portable version of Firefox, to allow changes (done while running the browser sandboxed) to bookmarks, settings, etc, to be saved out of the sandbox, you need to allow Direct file access to the file where Firefox stores the data.

For example, Firefox saves bookmarks and history in a file that is named: places.sqlite

Firefox saves user preferences/Settings (not all but many) that you set in Tools>Settings in: prefs.js, this file also stores changes done in about:config.

So, if you like to save bookmarks and changes you do in settings while running your portable Firefox, you need to navigate via Sandboxie control to Sandbox settings>Resource access>File access>Direct access, Click Add program, to add firefox.exe. After doing that, Click Add, navigate to the files (like places.sqlite and prefs.js) and click on them to add them. By doing this, you ll be allowing changes done to this files to go straight out of the sandbox to the real files in the portable Firefox folder. Firefox stores this files in your Profile folder in:

AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\your profile

Note: See last paragraph.

Regarding forcing programs and setting the sandbox to auto delete. There is nothing special you need to set or do. Those functions should work the same with portable and regular versions of Firefox.

To save Phishing data, try allowing access to the folder located here, look below. Here is where Firefox stores Safe browsing data (again, read last paragraph). I haven't used anti phishing in Firefox for many years (and I don't save this updates that Firefox do from within the sandbox). But I think Firefox saves this type of database also (at least, it used to) in file cert9 and there was another file that I cant remember the name now. I searched for it using Google but is not easy to find now, perhaps Mozilla has hidden the reading material it used to have regarding this files.

AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

FWIW, cerrt9 is located in your Firefox profile folder in:

AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\your profile

Regarding updating Firefox while running sandboxed. For security reasons, Sandboxie doesn't allow updates to be done when running sandboxed. But you can try doing the update by running a Firefox installer over the top. Do this unsandboxed.

I don't use Firefox portable (never had), so use what I wrote as a guide to the names of the files you need to look for within the portable Firefox installation folder. Perhaps, you will not see in that folder a folder with the name AppData, but you ll find folders with names like App and/or Data. And here is where you should look for prefs.js and places.sqlite.

Bo

 

Thanks Bo,

I've done as you said
-Sandbox settings>Resource access>File access>Direct access>FF
but once the SB setting is closed and open again it doesn't show the change, good news it work anyway.

May I ask you why you don't use FF portable?

 

Ps.

Any disadvantage on letting direct access? since the program is portable any possible damage would be contained to only its folder (sandboxed, with no access to other folders, no writing nor reading except for its self) unlike normal programs.

Critical data would not be saved, password, mails, etc. Use of multiple browsers to keep separated browsing.
FF (portableapps.) for daily browsing, Opera portable (directly from opera) for mails and such.

 

Sorry but I don't understand your comments. I have been updating Firefox portable for years inside Sandboxie without any problem, both using the portable installation file and overwriting the Firefox portable folder and using Firefox's own integrated updater.
In fact since I have been using Legacy Sandboxie until recently and I haven't updated Firefox since I migrated to Plus I just tried 5 minutes ago to see if what you said was a Plus thing and the update (done with Firefox updater by going to Help > About and using the Default sandbox) worked just fine. It took a while to start the update download, something that didn't happen on Legacy, but that's it.

 

if you had it installed into sandboxie - you are right. but installed outside you never will have luck without any settings. and in that case it often fails - and then it does not make sense to use firefox in the box because the breakout is programmed.

the structure of portableapps firefox is too complicated and it has no benefit versus a simplified structure
FirefoxLoader.exe
- Firefox
- Profilordner

Code:

cd "Firefox"
firefox.exe -profile "..\Profilordner"

ok, thats batch i dont use, i use my own sophisticated starter (autoit). this is the very basic usage and portableapps ist just a blown something to make people think they are experts for firefox. bs.

bo just pointed out that open path are to set.

for the portable i can say that a portable is a security issue. it is not under the radar of windows security mechanisms, so any malware can change any data on this structure to gain access to the system.

you cant user any portable within the \program files\ folders (for x64 there are 2) - no sufficient rights, even not as admin (windows 8 and windows 10) (windows 7 also if updated with ESU)

and it dont matter if legacy firefox or any version else, its a matter of sandboxie.

 

You are welcome Kitty, I am glad to help. To see the setting you enabled, after you navigate to Sandbox settings>Resource access>File access>Direct access, you click the Drop down arrow, and click on firefox.exe. Doing that will show the direct access that you have allowed firefox.exe to have in this particular sandbox.

At first, when you go to Sandbox settings>Resource access>File access>Direct access, what you see there is the access (if any) that you are allowing to have to all programs that run in this sandbox. Since, it is safer to only allow Firefox the access to firefox files, that is why I suggested you only allow the access to firefox.exe.

There is really no reason.

Bo

 

None whatsoever.

I think your thoughts are on the right track, and you are doing things right.

Bo

 

While running Firefox sandboxed, if you try to do an update from within Firefox, the update process runs but when you restart the browser, the update should not be applied. It should fail.

Thats how things are supposed to be. And how it has always been. If you are using David's Sandboxie and that's how he has his SBIE handling updates, I dont know. But whatever, allowing updates like this to stick is a bad idea as it would be dangerous.

Bo

 

Thank you both for your replies.

I don't know why then but I can update Firefox portable (from portablepps to be exact) using his own integrated updater with Legacy Sandboxie and with Sandboxie Plus without problems. I just did two updates, this time with Firefox Portable folder out of the sandbox and it updated both times fine too.

So to be clear:
Firefox Portable Folder outside Sandbox + Update sandboxed = Update Successful
Firefox Portable Folder inside Sandbbox + Update sandboxed = Update Successful

I'm not using any custom settings and I'm doing it with the Default sandbox, same thing when I was using Legacy SBIE.

Maybe what you guys say only applies to normal Firefox? because as I said I've been doing this for years and didn't know it was not supposed to work until today.

Sorry kittyboxie for hijacking your thread.

 

No problema,

the question is relevant even to me.

 

I disable automatic updates, my Firefox is at Firefox 91. So I was able to do some tests a few minutes ago.

This is what I found, and this result is new to me: Firefox updates within the sandbox and the update is applied as long as you don't have enabled Drop rights, or internet/Start run restrictions. I always use one or another restriction so even if I didn't disable automatic checking for updates, I was never going to get to see this result.

Whats important from my point of view: The update stays within the sandbox, it doesn't go outside the sandbox. So the update is not applied to the real Firefox installation.

What all this tells me is that you either dont set the sandbox to delete on closing or you have Firefox portable installed in a sandbox.

Bo

 

Mystery solved then.

Since I use the Default box as it is without any custom settings (Drop Rights, Internet/Start restrictions, etc) the update is applied without problems as you found out.
And you're right, I don't delete on closing (I delete manually) and I do have Firefox portable installed on the Default sandbox when updating it. (after the update is completed I take the folder outside the sandbox so I can use my custom "browser box" with many restrictions applied to use it).

Thank you for testing and replying and everyone else as well.